Wayna (Huayna) Picchu Hike At Machu Picchu: Tips And Tricks

I visited Machu Picchu, the top attraction in Peru and one of the most popular attractions in the world. 

But besides visiting Machu Picchu, the famous World Wonder in Peru, the most interesting thing to do there is to hike Wayna Picchu (also called Huayna Picchu). 

To do this hike, you’ll need to buy specific tickets for Machu Picchu, which will include access to Wayna Picchu. These are the most limited tickets and are often sold out months in advance. 

However, it’s worth planning months in advance because, from the top of Wayna Picchu, you’ll have the most amazing view of Machu Picchu. 

Here’s everything you need to know, including my best tips and tricks for hiking the popular Machu Picchu hike, the one and only Huayna Picchu.

Wayna Picchu mountain (Huayna Picchu)

Wayna Picchu mountain, also called Huayna Picchu mountain, can only be accessed from inside the Machu Picchu. 

Some internet resources will use Wayna Picchu and Huayna Picchu interchangeably because they are on the same mountain.

The confusion comes from the fact that the internet uses the name Huayna Picchu, while the official website for selling Machu Picchu tickets is called Wayna Picchu. But they all refer to the same mountain. 

The Huayna Picchu mountain is particularly famous for being the highest mountain that surrounds Machu Picchu, and it offers the best panoramic view of Machu Picchu. 

To get access to Huayna Picchu, you have to buy the corresponding ticket. Look for the ticket that specifically states that it offers access to Huayna Picchu. 

To get to the peak of Huayna Picchu, you have to climb the mountain, which is a medium-challenging hike and takes about 1.5 hours for average hikers. 

The Huayna Picchu mountain is particularly famous for its Stairs of Death, which represent the last stretch of the hike, just before getting to the top. These are really steep stairs that make it almost impossible for the hiker to stand up straight, and you almost need to crawl to get up. 

Contrary to their name, Stairs of Death, nobody actually died on this mountain. 

The Huayna Picchu mountain is also home to the Temple of the Moon, which can only be visited up to 9 AM, which means you need to get the tickets to Huayna Picchu on the first or second timeslot.

The other tickets will not offer access to the temple because the temple will be closed by the time you get to the top, next to the temple. 

Huayna Picchu tickets

To get access to Huayna Picchu mountain, you need to purchase the right ticket. Access to Huayna Picchu Mountain is always stated on the ticket.

You can buy (and should buy) your ticket from the official website here: https://tuboleto.cultura.pe/llaqta_machupicchu. The website is only in Spanish, but you can easily use Google Translate plugin on your browser. 

The tickets and circuits have changed a few times, but as of September 2024, the Machu Picchu ticket that grants access to Huayna Picchu mountain and hike is Circuito 3 – Machupicchu realeza with the Route Ruta 3-A: Ruta Montaña Waynapicchu. 

Remember that Huayna Picchu mountain is also called Waynapicchu (or Wayna Picchu mountain).

If the circuits change again in the future, remember to always check the map for each circuit and route, as this will make things clearer for you. Regardless of the number of the circuit, it should look like this:

Since there are different circuits to visit in Machu Picchu, the circuit that includes Wayna Picchu Mountain is always one of the lower circuits. This ticket only includes the inferior part of Machu Picchu. 

So if you want to visit the upper part of Machu Picchu, which includes the upper terrace, which is the spot for the popular photos at Machu Picchu, you will have to buy another ticket for Machu Picchu. 

For instance, you can buy this ticket for Wayna Picchu mountain in the morning, which should take you up to four hours in total. 

Then, you will exit Machu Picchu, preferably have lunch at the Snack Bar at the entrance (you will be hungry) and then re-enter Machu Picchu with another ticket later in the afternoon, which includes the upper/superior terrace at Machu Picchu. 

When to purchase the Huayna Picchu tickets?

These tickets for Wayna Picchu (Huayna Picchu) mountain are one of the most sought-after and popular tickets. If you want to do this hike on Huayna Picchu mountain, you will need to purchase your ticket as soon as possible. 

Some say to purchase it up to six months in advance. I’d say it depends on the season.

I visited in April, which is the beginning of the dry season at Machu Picchu, which isn’t really crowded. I purchased my tickets only three weeks in advance.

But I strongly recommend you purchase them about one month to one and a half months in advance. This goes for any kind of ticket for Machu Picchu. 

You might be able to find tickets even closer to your visiting dates, but the entry timeslots available might not be ideal. Also, there might not be many tickets left (only 1 or 2 per day), which might be an issue if you’re visiting with a larger group. 

If you can’t find tickets available for your dates on the official website, you might be able to find tickets on third-party websites. However, these might be more expensive than the prices on the official websites. 

This is an example:

Rules for Machu Picchu tickets

To enter Machu Picchu, you will only need the Machu Picchu ticket saved on your smartphone and your passport to confirm your identity. 

All tickets for Machu Picchu are tied to the name of the buyer. 

Huayna Picchu hike

• Huayna Picchu hike difficulty: Medium-challenging
• Huayna Picchu hike length: 2,4 km (1.5 miles) road trip
• Huayna Picchu hike time: About 3 hours round trip (can be done faster)
• Huayna Picchu altitude: 2,693 metres (8,835 ft)

The Huayna Picchu climb is a bit challenging, and I wouldn’t recommend this hike to anyone with mobility issues. 

Most would agree that this is a moderate-level hike, but almost anyone over 10 years of age should be able to do it. 

Even if you get tired on the way up, there are some spots where you can stop to catch your breath, and other hikers can easily and safely overpass you. 

The most impressive part of the hike is the famous Stairs of Death on Huayna Picchu mountain. 

However, it’s not as dreadful as it sounds, and most people were happy and smiling as they were slowly climbing the stairs. 

The start is just the last stretch of the hike before you reach a small plateau where you can take your time, sit for a bit, and souk in the best view of Machu Picchu. Here is also the spot where you’ll find a sign sith the altitude of Huayna Picchu, which reads “Wayna Picchu 2,693 metres (8,835 ft)”. 

The peak of Wayna Picchu (Huayna Picchu) is 260 metres (850 ft) higher than Machu Picchu.

Remember that you shouldn’t stop on the stairs, as there is no room for more than one person to move at a time. So please be respectful of others when climbing this mountain. 

Huayna Picchu video

I filmed a video while doing the Huayna Picchu climb, and I posted it on YouTube to help future travellers see exactly what the hike looks like so that you can decide for yourself if this is the kind of activity you’d enjoy doing at Machu Picchu. 

Here’s the video:

View from Huayna Picchu

The view from the top of Huayna Picchu is the best view of Machu Picchu. 

Most tours don’t advertise it like it because to get to enjoy this view from Huayna Picchu, you need to be able to climb up to the top, and that involves purchasing this Huayna Picchu ticket months in advance and then preparing for the hike. 

But true mountain lovers will go through all these ordeals to get this kind of ticket and climb to the top of the tallest mountain at Machu Picchu and enjoy the ultimate view of one of the most popular world wonders. 

Is climbing Huayna Picchu worth it?

Yes. 

I didn’t expect to love it so much, but I did and climbing Huayan Picchu is worth it. 

This hike on Huayna Picchu made my visit to Machu Picchu much better. 

If I were to compare the experience of doing the classic circuit of Machu Picchu, which takes you to the upper platform (next to the Sun Temple, to get the classic shot of Machu Picchu, versus the view from Huayna Picchu, I’d definitely say that the hike is much better and improved the overall experience greatly. 

But if you want to experience both, then you can buy different tickets for the same day but at different hours. 

Because circuits are shorter now, it takes fewer hours to explore each one, and they are also limited in duration (but I don’t see how they can enforce that). 

So, in the end, you can get two or even three different tickets to see different parts of Machu Picchu on the same day, assuming you start in the morning and then have enough energy to do it all. 

But remember that you need to buy your tickets as soon as possible after booking your plane tickets to be able to buy different tickets for Machu Picchu for the same day, but at different hours. 

It requires a bit of planning, but I assure you it is worth it.

I visited Wayna Picchu after a long day of driving to Machu Picchu village, which was an adventure in itself, and it’s also a more economical (alternative to train) way to reach Aqua Calientes.

If you want to organise the rest of your trip by yourself, check out my Cusco road trip itinerary, where I included all the details of my trip, which included Lake Titicaca and the famous Rainbow Mountain.

Remember the altitude sickness when you first arrive in Cusco. That is no joke, and you need at least two full days to acclimatise at this altitude. I recommend only an easy 3-day visiting itinerary in Cusco for those days.